Improvement in portable houses



2Sheets--Sheet1.

A. E. HOTCHKISS.

Improvement. in Portable Houses.

NO. 132,533. a Patented Oct. 29,1872.

i 2 Sheets--Sheet2 r A. E. HOTCHKISS.

Improvement in Pertable House's.

No. 132,533. Patented0c t. 29,1872.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALSTON E. HOTOHKISS, OF HU'BBARDSVIDLE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN PORTABLE HOUSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 132,533, dated October 29, 1872.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, A. E. HOTOHKISS, of Hubbardsville, in the county of Madison and State of New York, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Picture- Gallery or Dwelling-House; and [do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon which form a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a portable picture-gallery or dwelling-house, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains-to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of my house; Fig. 2 is a cross-section; and Fig. 3, a longitudinal section of the same.

A A represent the sills, which are made each with a longitudinal groove in its upper side. BB are the plates, which are made to correspond with the. sills, and provided with similar grooves in their lower sides. 0 0 represent the sides, which are grooved together in sections of suitable width, firmly matched together, and inserted in the grooves on the sills A A and plates B B, thereby forming a building as substantial as if made with studding. To the sills and plates are secured iron ribs to, which fit in gains or grooves cut in the sections of the sides 0 U, as shown in Fig. 1, thus uniting'the sides, sills, and plates firmly and solidly together.

When using the building as a picture-gallery, the roof D is made to cover about onethird of the building; and a corresponding roof, E, with skylight attachment G, is made to cover another third of the same. The lower edge of the roof or frame E is hinged to a crossdeck, H, which rests and slides upon the plates B B, the sides of said frame E having grooves b b, so that in moving the same the gables I I may pass through. The cross-deck H supports the skylight G, when moved backward or to rect rays of the sun and maintaining a clear white light, which cannot be produced in all kinds of weather by any other process now in a use, or by the use of painted glass or screens which are very expensive. The front part of the house is covered by a double roof, J, firmly fastened at the top with hinges and resting in gains (1 d at the base, as shown in Fig. 2. A rod, f, runs from the ridge of the roof J to the plate at e, which, when tightened firmly, secures the roof to the plates without the aid of nails or screws. K represents the door, hinged to one of the side sections and opening inward.

A house constructed in this manner can be packed in very small compass for shipment,

and put up where desired in a very short space of time without the aid of tools.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the grooved sills A A, grooved plates B B, ribs 0. a, and the sectional sides O O, fitting in the grooves on the sills and plates, and having gains or grooves for the reception of the ribs, all substantially as herein set forth.

2. The movable roof or frame E, with skylight G, hinged to cross-deck H,.and its sides provided with grooves 12 19, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

-3. Theroof J, hinged together at the ridge, resting in gains at d, and secured by a rod, f, all substantially as herein set forth.

4. The combination of the sills A, plates B,

ribs a, sides 0, roof D, frame E, wit-h skylight G and grooves b, cross-deck H, gables I, roof J, and door K, all constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALSTON EUGENE HOTGHKISS.

Witnesses W. MERRIFIELD, R. B. PRINDLE. 

